Choosing a College or University

When I cleared high school, I was a very happy man. I knew that slowly by slowly I was headed for the dream of my life. All that was remaining as far as I was concerned was to get good education and certificates on institutions of higher learning be it colleges or universities and then trust God to deliver the rest.

I therefore embarked on a mission of choosing a college or university which I would attend to quench my ambitions. But the more I tried to find one, the more confused I became. There was overwhelming load of information for me to read and understand, many offers from different schools and many advices from friends and relatives. All this in as much as it may have somehow helped me at one time did confuse me.

Choosing a college or university can be a very exciting task. But sometimes it can also be a daunting task due to the enormous amount of information available. You may lack the time to study all that information or even if you study them, you may end up being confused like I was.

When choosing a college or university, the first thing you should do is to spend considerable amount of your time doing research about it. There is a lot of information which may help you to tackle this tremendous task. If possible, browse through the different colleges/university websites or brochures and even consult an academic advisor for reputable universities in your field of study

There are a few important factors to consider. Below are highlights of the most important ones.
1. Your ambitions/dreams

You must first ask yourself what you aspire in life and the course you want to pursue. This will help you to narrow your list by removing colleges and universities that do not offer your dream course.

2. Your qualifications

Another important factor to consider is your qualification. Your qualifications mean that you can only go to certain colleges/universities. Choose a college or university which your marks/qualifications can give you access to.

3. Level of qualification you are yearning for

You must know in advance what you aspire to achieve at the end of the day. If you want a diploma, then you can settle for a college. If you want to have a degree, it might be convenient to go to a university directly or else you may have to go to a college, do a diploma and then transfer to a university to do the degree. This may be expensive and time consuming in the long run.

4. Cost

A very important factor to consider when choosing a college or university is the total cost of your education. Consider how much you will be paying per semester in terms of tuition fees, housing costs e.t.c. Choose a college or university that you can afford. You may also try to search for colleges or universities that offer financial aid or scholarships. Take advantage of such offers.

5. Housing

Ask yourself whether you want to be staying in campus or outside the campus. If you want to stay outside the campus, make sure you will afford the cost of housing which is somehow expensive.

6. Climate

You must beware of the kind of climate that you will meet in your new environment. Be sure that you can cope well with it and that it won't affect your studies. Shop for good clothing to suit that kind of climate.

7. Clubs & Activities/Hobbies

When choosing a college or university, it is important to take into consideration your hobbies and likes. Choose a college/university that has clubs and activities that suit your hobbies. It will help you to advance and nurture them.

8. Financial aid/scholarships

It is always good to choose colleges or universities that offer some kind of financial support /scholarships. This will help to lower your burden of paying the full school fees.

9. Support Services

When choosing a college/university it is important to choose an institution that offer students support services like securing job placements, medical services and counseling services.

10. Class size

The size of the college or university is of paramount importance. Many people prefer small class sizes as opposed to big classes. This is because the lecturers with small classes are able to attend to all the students individually hence can understand their weaknesses as opposed to the ones with big classes.

11. Security

Another important factor when choosing a college or university is the security within the university and within its environments. You do not want to go to a place where the security of your belongings is not assured or where you cannot even walk or go to classes/library at night because of insecurity.

12. Mode of study/ On-line degree options

Ask yourself whether you are going to attend classes fulltime, part-time or through correspondence. Do you require the online degree option or not? This is an important consideration for people who want to learn by correspondence or who are employed.